IT’S HOLIDAY TIME MORE CHILDREN ON THE STREETS HAWKING
We are used to seeing children hawking on the streets of our major cities but it’s that time of the year again when many parents simply throw all their children to the streets to do petty trading because it’s holiday. There’s no rest for these children and with all this talk of fighting child labor we have many parents in our big cities that simply ignore government and some local and international agencies on this issue. We understand that in most cases it’s about supplementing the household income but there are laws against the way these children are being exploited on our streets. What’s the point of putting laws in place when we can’t enforce them?
The other day we saw a girl of about FOURTEEN selling pieces of coconut at ONE THOUSAND LEONES a piece at a major road junction packed with Okada Boys. After FOUR HOURS on the streets she could only sell FIVE pieces. The whole business was less than twenty thousand Leones. If that is not abuse, what is it? We know things are hard for some families but what is FIVE thousand Leones to the household income? And how is that money equivalent to four hours on the streets for a 14 year old girl with all the obvious dangers?
LET’S WATCH POLICE CHECKPOINTS OUTSIDE FREETOWN
It’s common knowledge that police officers, particularly those at checkpoints on the highways leading to provincial cities collect petty bribes daily. We have to be clear about that from the outset. It’s not because the big guys at headquarters have not tried to do something about it. They have mostly issued ridiculous threats of suspension and dismissal so we are sad to report that illegal collections continue and ordinary people are complaining.
We note two things: passenger vehicles carrying poor people and their goods are the main targets. The second point is the bribe is collected openly – in fact it would appear as if the business has been institutionalized because drivers simply alight from their vehicles and drop the agreed booking fee in the regular place while the passengers walk through a funny security barrier.
We don’t want anybody to read this as an unnecessary attack on the security forces or the police in particular. We appreciate the work they do to keep the nation safe and even at those checkpoints we want them to properly check all vehicles because the so-called private vehicles that they wave through could be the ones carrying dangerous weapons and drugs. We don’t think it is correct for the police to be collecting money from passengers. That kind of corruption hurts ordinary Sierra Leoneans directly. Afro Boy’s SCORPIONS also use these roads but they never sting these rogue police officers.
The number of checkpoints between Bo and Jendema on the Liberian border for example is just overwhelming and the conduct of the officers and lorry park organizers is a disgrace. IG Sovula is risking a serious backlash from ordinary passengers by not reducing the number of checkpoints on our roads and making those that remain purposeful in strategic locations. We don’t want to come back after a month or so to say WE TOLD HIM SO.
MESSI SHOULD STAY AT BARCELONA BY ALL MEANS
The best way out of this Lionel Messi saga is for the guy to stay at Barcelona and serve the club that took him in as a boy needing help, investing significant resources in him and turning him into perhaps the greatest footballer the world has seen. Messi’s wage demands and domineering style will destabilize any of the few clubs that can put up the money to sign him on. This guy was everything in Barcelona. Even managers and club presidents were ever careful not to cross his path because the fans believe that without Messi there is Barcelona. Maybe they are correct.
Life after Lionel Messi has always been a difficult thing for Barcelona fans around the world to imagine but it’s looking increasingly likely as the days go by. There are a few knowledgeable people in the football business who absolutely believe a DEADLINE DAY MIRACLE will keep Messi at Barcelona but as that day approaches, Messi will have to make that decision to stay, join another club or retire. He is leaning towards Money Bags PSG.
What is wrong with Messi deciding to play for fun with Barcelona for this season and retire from the game at 35 years of age? He has nothing to lose. He has won many awards and he is rich. He kept the money in the family with his dad being his manager. He could make a lot more money after retirement and live happily ever after.
To join PSG, Manchester United or some clubs in the Middle East or the MLS is only a mission to make money.
Messi please give Barcelona a birthday gift by staying and playing for FREE.
TIK TOK MUSA TOMBO BLUNDERS AGAIN
We’ve been all over the place in the last two weeks in search of Musa Tombo. We are not getting any joy trying to reach him on his phone either. For us, we simply want to ask him why he hasn’t turned up for training with the national team in preparation for Cameroon. It would appear as if team coach John Keister has gone out of his way to give Tombo some cash just to encourage him to report for training. At least we saw a report to that effect on social media.
We are definitely NOT part of those who go around with the idea that some mystical power unleashed by jealous family members is at work in the life of controversial Musa Tombo. We will not waste our time going over what happened with this guy in Scandinavia on two separate occasions. They say everybody deserves a second chance. However asking for a THIRD CHANCE will definitely be an attempt to rob other community members of their own chances.
Here is a man with a great potential in football always behaving like society owes him something. He is taking more from the country than the country is getting from him in terms of his overall performance on field or his GOALS for the nation. When players fail to turn up for scheduled training they provide plausible explanations to the authorities and their fans. Musa Tombo allegedly collects cash from his manager, and refuses to turn up for training or pick his manager’s call. Next minute he goes on social media from his basement to insult our collective intelligence.
John Keister now has the first opportunity to convince the nation he can be decisive. He should issue a public call using the normal channels to ORDER Tombo to return to training immediately or face DE-SELECTION. There should be NO ifs and buts about that because:
1. The state has been very generous to Tombo in recent times. He knows what we mean by this. He should return to camp without further delay.
2. This is not the HARRY KANE situation. This is our national team – Leone Stars. Treating the team with contempt is a big slap on our faces and we will NOT accept that.
3. Neither John Keister nor his local club CEO Babadie Kamara should give Tombo a cent to encourage him to go to camp. We don’t want to go to Cameroon and on the day of a crucial match be confronted with a statement that Tombo was in his hotel holding out for money and doing a TIK TOK video of himself attempting to dance. Zero Blackmail please.
4. We must also NOT bring ourselves so low to recruit his fiancé in our bid to bring him to camp. Let him make that decision very soon because the rest of us are ready to move on.
5. We know that even the CR7s of this world respect their colleagues and club managers. Let’s not allow Tombo to play around with our intelligence. We know how much money this country is spending on football. It’s not our business what he does with his local club but on the national level we should let this guy know that our taxes are for serious matters. We cannot be holding civil and public servants accountable all over the place and allow a man who thinks we owe him something to continue chopping our taxes while refusing to play by the rules.
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